The roof element may, more particularly, be a cover or a module element as are used in modern motor vehicles. The cover is usually part of a sliding roof here and can be shifted between a closed position and various open positions by a suitable mechanism. The module element may be configured to be panel-shaped and constitute a stationary part of the vehicle roof, for example the stationary parts of the roof skin that are arranged laterally of a sliding roof cover, or the part arranged behind the sliding roof cover, as viewed in the direction of travel.
It is known that a so-called foamed casing or portion can be used for covers of sliding roofs, in particular glass covers, which in most cases consists of polyurethane. The latter is introduced into a foaming mold so that a polyurethane frame or other polyurethane formations are formed which firmly adhere to the cover. A disadvantage here is the fairly great effort involved in producing the foaming molds, which are required to ensure the necessary sealing action in view of the foaming pressure occurring, so that the polyurethane cannot reach any surfaces where it impairs the function and/or the visual appearance of the cover.
EP 1 577 080 discloses a method of manufacturing a gasket on a glass cover, in which polyurethane is applied in a spraying method. In this process, the cover is placed into an open mold having a mold surface onto which the curable polyurethane is sprayed. This allows, in particular, a frame to be obtained that surrounds the cover on all sides. Here, the mold surface is formed in a mold part made from a resilient material, for example silicone, so that a good sealing action on the cover is achieved.
A drawback of this method is that only few geometries are possible, namely those that are feasible when using a dish-like mold part which holds the very flowable polyurethane.